COST: Dinner for two, with one appetizer, entrees, a half carafe of wine, tax and tip, was $53.71.

William's a good catch for food, service

Mention William's Restaurant to an old friend, and he might smile and say something like, "It's still going strong, on Friday the fish is great and dinner starts at 4 o'clock."

Going strong is an understatement for this 62-year-old family-owned and operated hideaway that's easy to miss on the Minoa-Bridgeport Road, just south of the Cicero Swamp.

William's lively bar and no-frills restaurant with bountiful food at moderate prices may have lured regulars who filled the whole house when we visited for an early dinner on a recent Friday evening.

But another secret for longevity here must be the family-friendly staff of attentive waitresses who seem to know diners' names and never miss a chance to say and do all the right things to make dinner in the knotty-pine-paneled dining room a pleasure.

With tables and padded booths, the smallish room is paper-mat-and-napkin casual with a Quick-Draw screen at one end, hanging lamps, Norman Rockwell prints on the wall and a salad bar from another era in the center.

The simple menu offers soups and appetizers ($2.25 to $6.25), steaks ($16.50 to $18.95), fried seafood ($11.50 to $16.95), broiled seafood ($11.95 to $25.95), land and sea combos ($19.95 to $35.95), everyday specials ($8.95 to $11.95) and lighter fare. Entrees include salad or salad bar and a starch or vegetable. Children 12 and younger have six choices ($3.25 to $3.95), and pizzas and sandwiches are also available.

My restaurant-dream comes true every time I get a printed menu of the day's specials, without a rote rendition by a server. And here I was with six printed options for entrees and even prices for desserts ($3.50 each).

For starters, a half carafe of chilled Chardonnay ($9) was a fine addition for a small fresh-dough pizza appetizer ($4 plus 25 cents each for two extra toppings) to share. The four-slice pie was oven-hot with a soft crust, plenty of cheese and our tasty sausage and sun-dried tomato extras.

Our waitress poured our first glasses of wine, served our first slices of pizza on separate plates and brought shakers of cheese and Italian spices for further seasonings.

The two-sided salad bar had no surprises, but glass plates and a large bowl of chopped lettuce looked fresh and ready to add quartered tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, ripe olives, croutons and more.

Deep crocks held labeled dressings, and a small, hot loaf of good white bread baked at the restaurant was served to be sliced at the table and arrived with bread plates and butter.

Generous entrees were extra-hot and delicious. Our waitress' suggestion of baked buttercrumb haddock ($13.95) arrived straight from the oven on a metal platter with a touchable liner. The large fillet was moist and soft beneath a crispy baked topping of buttered crumbs flavored with bits of roasted red pepper and bacon.

A large side dish of hot steak fries with a lemon wedge was larger than necessary, but the potatoes were perfectly cooked.

Beer-battered shrimp ($13.95) with both cocktail and tartar sauces and french fries were another big treat. Lightly battered and deep-fried, 14 shrimp tasted fresh and crisp without an oily flavor.